Palestine is at risk of ‘full annexation’, UN commissioners warn

There will be a “full annexation” of Palestine if the conflict in the territory is not stopped, members of a United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry have said.

In May 2021 the UN Human Rights Council decided to establish an international commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory following an 11-day war between Israel and the Hamas militant group in Gaza.

The commission on Tuesday presented its annual report to the Human Rights Council. The report accused Israel of “delegitimising and silencing civil society” by outlawing Palestinian human rights groups and labeling their members terrorists.

The report also accused both Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority in the West Bank of committing rights violations.

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But it said most of the violations it had uncovered were committed by Israel as part of a campaign that it said was aimed at “ensuring and enshrining its permanent occupation at the expense of the rights of the Palestinian people”.

It highlighted the targeting of female human rights defenders in particular, as well as those working in the LGBTQ+ sphere.

“The commission finds that the human rights to freedom of association, expression and opinion, and the right to peaceful assembly, are being violated by the Government of Israel, the Government of the State of Palestine and the de facto authorities in Gaza,” the report stated.

“The commission concludes that the de facto authorities in Gaza target those expressing dissenting political opinions, creating a repressive climate of fear characterised by self-censorship. This constitutes violations under international human rights law.”

Speaking on a visit to Dublin, commissioner Miloon Kothari said over the last few months “things have rapidly deteriorated”.

“Unless action is taken, it’s almost like de facto giving Israel a free hand at getting what they want. There has been a significant increase in plans for settlements, but also legalising outposts,” he said.

“The occupation has become permanent. Annexation is a reality of the day. If nothing is done, there will be a full annexation. If there was any time when countries who have historically claimed to be senstitive to human rights situation on the ground, this is the time to speak up.”

[ Ireland should ‘go further than just issuing statements’ on Palestine, UN commissioners say ]

A spokesman for the Israel embassy in Dublin said the “Commission of Inquiry against Israel has no legitimacy. It never had”.

“A year after its first report, Israel’s warnings about this commission of inquiry have been realised. Their political activism only serves to advance pre-existing biased prejudices against Israel, under the guise of a supposedly independent UN mandate,” the statement said.

“The claims against Israel presented in the latest report are widely based on so-called public hearings which would be better described as kangaroo trials. The COI also appears to reject all submissions that do not fit its prejudged narrative. In addition to this, many of the false accusations made in the report are not new. Israel has responded publicly to many of them previously.”

It added: “Israel has a robust and independent civil society which is composed of thousands of NGOs, human rights defenders, national and international media outlets, that can operate freely throughout the year.”